A look into the family history of this year’s runners in the VRC Oaks,
Those looking for reasons to doubt Treasurethe Moment in Thursday's Group 1 VRC Oaks might point to her sire as a factor behind their reasoning that she will struggle to run a strong 2500 metres.
The Matt Laurie-trained filly is by Alabama Express, a son of Redoute's Choice who finished last in the Australian Guineas (1600m) at his only run beyond 1400m and scored his biggest win in the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes over 1400m.
But those on side with the Wakeful Stakes winner will be buoyed by a name that appears on the female side of her pedigree page.
Treasurethe Moment is out of the Street Cry mare Draconic Treasure, whose dam Hazy Glow is out of the Sadlers Wells mare Genuine Charm, who is a half-sister to 2002 Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle.
Laurie said the Yulong-owned filly's performances as she stepped out in trip vindicated what he thought of her as a young horse.
"She's out of a Street Cry mare and there's a bit of staying blood further down the page," Laurie said after her Wakeful Stakes win.
"At the end of the day, you've got to pick an individual and if you are trying to purchase a stayer, this horse, when she paraded as a yearling, screamed that."
Treasurethe Moment is part of a fascinating Oaks that includes a filly out of a half-sister to Makybe Diva and a granddaughter of a VRC Oaks winner with the pedigrees of the runners below.
1 – Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express x Draconic Treasure)
Trainer: Matt Laurie, Jockey: Damian Lane
See above
2 – Too Darn Discreet (Too Darn Hot x Maybe Discreet)
T: Dan O'Sullivan, J: Michael Dee
By a son of Dubawi who has made a splash with his first Australian crop, which includes Broadsiding and Oaks rival Killcare Beachgirl. Maybe Discreet also won the race Too Darn Discreet won two back, the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), and she won the Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Group 1 level but there is little Black Type on the page beyond that distance.
3 – Harlem Queen (Brutal x Harlem River)
T: Nathan Doyle, J: Blake Shinn
The $180,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions graduate is a first crop member of a Doncaster Mile winner who never raced beyond a mile but is a son of proven staying sire O'Reilly from a Fastnet Rock mare who boasts some elite performers as relations, but none over anything like the Oaks distance. Harlem River's dam Harlem Heat (Xaar) is a half-sister to the dams of both The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) and two-time Group 1 winner In Her Time (Time Thief).
4 – Rag Queen (Dargento x Victory Day)
T: David Payne, J: Chad Schofield
A $15,000 Inglis Gold purchase, she is the cheapest yearling in the field and is part of the first crop for a son of So You Think from a Domesday mare who traces back to one of Australia's most popular stayers of the 1990s. Rag Queen's second dam Victory Ride is a daughter of Masterclass mare Classy Babe, who is a half-sister to Skybeau, the son of Dahar who ran in the Melbourne Cup five times and placed in the 1996 edition won by Saintly. Classy Babe is also the dam of G1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) winner and G1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) placegetter Devil Moon.
5 – Powers Of Opal (Ocean Park x Strada Cavallo)
T: John Sargent, J: James McDonald
By a Cox Plate-winning son of Thorn Park out of an Alamosa mare who won at 1400m but was placed in the G1 NZ Oaks (2400m). The majority of the family's Black Type has been obtained in races up to a mile, but Strada Cavallo's half-sister Pennacchio is the dam of Dundeel mare Il Affare who finished fourth, beaten just 1-3/4 lengths, in a G1 NZ Derby (2400m). Powers Of Opal was a $130,000 buy for John Sargent and Duncan Ramage at Karaka.
6 – Pleasure Artist (Trapeze Artist x Perfect Pleasure)
T: R&W Freedman, J: Craig Williams
By a son of Snitzel who was a star sprinter but from a family that features a VRC Owns winner. The $150,000 Inglis Premier yearling is out of an unraced daughter of VRC Oaks-winning sire Pierro who is from a Quest For Fame mare whose dam Sandy's Pleasure won the Flemington Classic in 1987.
7 – Taisay (Pride Of Dubai x Mykaetob)
T: Byron Cozamanis, J: Billy Egan
By the son of Street Cry who is the sire of star females Pride Of Jenni and Bella Nipotina out of a mare who is closely-related to two of Australia's all-time greats. Mykaetob's sire is Black Caviar's half-brother All Too Hard, while her half-sister is none other than the mighty Makybe Diva. Mykaetob, who never got to the racetrack, is the 11th and final foal from Riverman mare Tugela, whose first foal was the triple Melbourne Cup champion. Others from Tugela include Valkyrie Diva, Group 2 winner Musket and La Amistad.
8 – Femminile (Dundeel x Femme Fireball)
T: Phillip Stokes, J: Daniel Stackhouse
By the son of High Chaparral who had three runners is Saturday's Victoria Derby from a daughter of Pierro. Femme Fireball did her best work over sprint trips, with 1350m being the longest race she won, with very little Black Type form at 2000m and beyond to speak of in recent generations.
9 – Killcare Beachgirl (Too Darn Hot x Absolute Joy)
T: G Waterhouse, A Bott, J: Tim Clark
The John Singleton homebred is one of the same sire as Too Darn Discreet from a female family that has impacted Oaks and Derbys over several decades. Absolute Joy is a daughter of Joie Denise, who like her dam Denise's Joy won a G1 Queensland Oaks (2400m), and has thrown G1 ATC Oaks (2400m) winner Sunday Joy and VRC Oaks and ATC Oaks placegetter, and G1 2400m winner, Tuesday Joy. Killcare Beachgirl is Absolute Joy's eighth named-foal with the seventh being Aberfeldie Boy (So You Think), who was an unlucky third in the Victoria Derby two years ago.
10 – Noises (Microphone x Beetobee)
T: Brad Widdup, J: Abdrew Adkins
By a winner of the ATC Sires' (1400m) who also ran second in the Golden Slipper (1200m) who is by a speed machine in Exceed And Excel from a Japanese family that traces back to former star filly/mare Mejiro Dober (Mejiro Ryan), who won 10 races between 1000m and 2400m. A $375,000 buy at Magic Millions' Gold Coast January Sale, she is the most expensive horse in the race who went through the sale ring as a yearling.
11 – Hurry Curry (Ocean Park x Hurry)
T: Danny O'Brien, J: Joao Moreira
By the same sire as Powers Of Opal out of a Savabeel mare, which means she has a 3x3 cross to the might Zabeel. Hurry's only win came in a 1200m maiden and most of her immediate relations' best efforts came in races at 1600m or below, third dam Iguazu won a G3 Manawatu Classic (2000m) while also on the page are Sacred Falls (O'Reilly), who won a couple of Doncaster Miles and finished second in a Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Rosehill Guineas at 2000m at Group 1 level, and NZ Derby runner-up Milford. Hurry Curry carries the colours of breeders Waikato Stud, who offered her for sale at Magic Millions last January, where she failed to reach her $150,000 reserve.
12 – Inevitable Truth (Fastnet Rock x Scarletini)
T: John Sargent, J: Jye McNeil
Fastnet Rock progeny might be best known for their deeds up to 1600m, but he has produced VRC Oaks winners Mosheen and Personal. Scarletini is by an American sire from a female family that traces back to the Northern Hemisphere but she has already made an impact on Australian Classics with her first foal Angel Of Truth (Animal Kingdom) a winner of the G1 ATC Derby (2400m).
13 – Placid Pearl (D'argento x South Pearl)
T: Matthew Smith, J: Ben Melham
The $100,000 Inglis Classic buy is the first of two fillies in the race by the Rosehill Guineas-winning son of superstar So You Think out of a mare by So You Think's sire High Chaparral. South Pearl was unplaced during her career but is a daughter of Danehill mare South Sea Pearl, who finished second in a G1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) and third in a G1 SA Oaks when that 2500m event carried Group 1 status. South Sea Pearl is a half-sister to Regal Sea, a daughter of Dahar, who finished runner-up in the G1 Queensland Oaks (2400m).
14 – All Kinds Of Folk (D'argento x She Brings Hope)
T: J&C Ledger, J: Luke Currie
D'argento's other runner in the race, a $40,000 Inglis Premier buy who is the second of two maidens in the race, is from a Sebring mare whose immediate family members were at their best over sprint trips but traces back to a strong French family who have won Group 3 out to 3000m.
